Rin's point of view
by s.j. snodgrass
Summary: Where did you get those bruises? She looked up at him in disbelief. He cared about he? She opened her mouth to speak, but of course no words came out. She then smiled up at him.


My first Inuyasha fic here. Though i hope it won't be the last. So i hope you people enjoy it.

A little girl made her way down a small forest trail, long overgrown with weeds and other plants. Her small bare feet made a pitter-patter sound on the rough ground. She stopped by a boulder. First she examined it, then she reached under it and hoisted it as far up as she could get it. Which, in all honesty, wasn't that far.

A small lizard darted out from underneath it. She dropped the boulder and, with quick little hands, snatched up the lizard. It wiggled and squirmed, but she held on tight. After all, she wasn't going to let her dinner go simply because it was still moving. She covered it's head with her other hand and snapped it's frail neck. The lizard went limp, and she smiled in satisfaction, her brown eyes glowing with pride.

Stuffing the lizard into her ragged kimono, she began her trip back down the path. On her way back, however, something off the path caught her eye. She hesitated for a moment. She knew how dangerous it could be to get lost in the woods, and how easy it was. Her father had taught her that. Upon recalling the memory of her father, she felt a small lump in her throat. She swallowed the lump down again, and forced herself out of the idea to cry.

She slowly stepped off the path, and cautiously peeked through the trees. What she saw made her gasp.

A man lay there on the ground. Man? No, she knew better than that. His appearance could only be explained as a demon. His long, white hair, claws, and strange markings sent shivers down her spine. She might have ran, but it was obvious that he was hurt. Badly hurt. The little armor he was wearing was broken to bits. He was bruised from head to toe, and his clothes were frayed and torn in places.

She opened her mouth to call out to him, but no sound came out. She knew no words would come. The words hadn't come for a long time. They were locked up deep in her heart, never to be spoken again.

She decided then that she would save him. She would help him get better. He was pretty to her, and he was hurt. She was ignorant to the possible dangers of getting close enough to touch a demon. In her eight year old mind, she only knew that she wanted to help him, and nothing was going to stop her.

She darted out of the woods at full speed and into her hut at the outskirts of her small village. She looked around for a moment, then found a small cantene. Smiling, she picked it up and carried it to the small stream by her hut. It felt good to have something to do for someone. To help someone. It almost made her feel wanted.

She filled up the cantene and skipped back into the forest, being careful not to spill anything. She reached the same place in the woods that she had found the demon. She peeked through the bushes. He was still asleep. She pushed through the bushes, making small russling noises.

The demon immediately sat up and snarled at her, his eyes gleaming dangerously red. She froze, a scream catching in her throat. He was so menacing. So frightening. A weaker soul might have fainted. But not her. She was determined to help him, even if he was scary.

Taking a deep breath, she walked up to him and dumped the water over his bruised and dirt-streaked face. He hissed but didn't move to kill her. She smiled a little bit and reached up to dab at his face with her kimono sleeve. He knocked her hand away and turned his face from her. But, instead of being crushed by his carelessness, she wasn't hurt. She would still help him. Now that he was awake, he would need food.

She bowed to him and ran back down the little path. What to do for food? She didn't have the faintest idea what he would like. Not at all. Then she remembered the lizard in her pocket. Should she give it to him? No. A meal of a lizard was fine for her, but not someone like him. Not someone who looked like nobility. She decided that the best thing to do for him was to get him some fish.

The only problem was that the only place close by she could get fish was in the village's stream. She knew the villagers wouldn't just let her have it. She would have to steal.

It was nearing sunset, and most of the villagers would be returning from work in the fields soon. She had to be fast. She crept down to the stream and waited. It was easier than it looked. Then again, she had done it before. Only a few times, because it had been necessary or she would have starved. Now she felt it easy to sink her hands into the cool water and close those tiny fingers around a slippery fish. She pulled it out in triumph. Happily, she carried it back to her hut, roasted it, and headed back into the forest.

When she arrived at the demon's clearing, he was sitting up, face looking up and away from her. She walked over to him and bowed, pushing the fish toward him. She expected him to be grateful. Happy that she would get him food. But instead he said,"You're wasting your time, girl. I don't eat human food." His voice was soft, but proud and almost scournful. She looked down at her little fish. What was wrong with it? She held it up again. He still refused it.

Had it been a year ago, she would have cried. But she didn't. She held back her tears. She looked up at him. She had been told that demons were monstrous creatures. But he didn't look monstrous. He looked like...a prince almost. A lord most certainly. If he was, that would explain his refusal to eat her food. After all, the fish wasn't near quality for a lord. He was certainly a proud being, she confirmed. She looked up again. His head was still looking away, but he was watching her out of the corner of one golden eye.

To her, that was the little ray of sunshine that would keep her trying. She would still help him. Even if he refused. Bowing again, she left.

Late that night, she returned to him with a cantene again. She put it down in front of him, and began to leave again. "You are either very brave, or very stupid." He murmered. She turned and looked at him. He was looking straight at her, his expression unreadable. She nodded slowly, and left again.

She didn't return the next day. She waited until nightfall. She was going to get him another fish. She crawled down the bank and stood in the water, poised and ready. Suddenly, torchlight surrounded her. She looked up, wide-eyed, as a large arm grabbed her collar and pulled her from the stream. She squirmed at first.

"So you're the dirty culprit, Rin!" The man holding her threw her to the ground. She couldn't tell how many of them were around her, because they all began kicking her at once. She squeezed her eyes shut. She would not cry. The pain in her sides was unbearable. She envisioned herself somewhere else, to try and numb the pain. At once she was in the forest with the white-haired demon.

The kicking stopped, her vision stopped, and she just stayed there, curled in a ball on the ground. One man picked her up and slapped her across her face. "Don't ever do it again!" He bellowed, throwing her to the ground. She got up, and slowly limped home, not once turning back to face those men. Just before she was out earshot, she caught the words of one of the men. Something like "Freakish child." She shook her head and continued to her hut, wincing every time she put pressure on her foot.

The next morning she returned to the demon. All she had to give him was a roasted rat and lizard. Of course he didn't accept them, but she brought them all the same.

"Where did you get those bruises?" He asked suddenly. She froze, sure that she had heard him wrong. Was he asking about her? "You don't have to tell me if you don't want to."

She opened her mouth, but again no words came out. She couldn't thank him verbally. Instead, she smiled up at him, laughing a little. It had been so long since someone had cared enough about her to ask her how she was. He was looking at her with an almost confused expression. "What are you smiling about? I just asked you a question. I don't care, i'm just curious." He said. She didn't care, She just kept smiling at perhaps the one person in the world that cared.

She skipped back to the village, since one of her legs was still badly injured. She was happy. Happier than she had been in a long time. She skipped all the way to her hut, and froze at the entrance. There was someone else there.

He looked up at her. He had fangs and a scar across his eye. "What? Does this hut belong to you?" He asked in a gruff voice. She nodded slowly. Then her head snapped to the left at the sound of a wolf howling. "They've caught up already? Damn!" He got up and pushed passed her, making a mad dash to the stream. He jumped into it, but barely made it away from shore before several wolves came flying over the bank, grabbing him and pulling him back to shore.

The girl watched in horror as another man approached him. They exchanged words, Then the new man's hand whipped out and slaughtered the first man.

She bagan shaking, paralyzed with fear. She couldn't run. Couldn't move. Then the wolves began to attack the villagers, tearing out their throats and gnawing at their limbs. Her mind was reeling. She tore herself away from the horrible sight and began to run as fast as she could. She knew where she was going.She was going to him, the demon. She knew that if she could just make it that far, she would be safe. Then she heard growls behind her, and the sound of paws hitting the ground. She didn't look back, she knew what was approaching her. She pushed herself harder, willing her legs to move faster. But she still wasn't fully recovered from her beating. She must have hit something, because she was falling. She tried to stop herself, but couldn't. She hit the ground with a dull thud.

She looked back in time to see the wolves launching themselves toward her. The last thing she saw was the eyes of one of them, and she felt the pain of teeth sinking into her neck. Then there was darkness. Nothingness.

She didn't know how long the nothingness went on. It could have been years. Then she felt herself being called back by something. It was like something was tugging at her chest. She turned her slightly. Her cheek was against something soft. She didn;t know what it was. She heard a voice. Who's? She was suspended in air. No, someone was holding her. Who's heartbeat was this? Hers? Who's hand? Who's chest? She opened her eyes. The light was almost blinding. But she kept them open, because she was looking into the eyes of the white-haired demon. She'd never seen that look on his face before. Was it concern? Or relief? He looked her over, then stood up, making sure she could stand. Someone else was shouting, but she wasn't paying attention to them. She was paying attention to the demon that had saved her. He met her eyes once. Then he turned and began to walk away. She watched him, and then, as if compelled by the last glance he had given her, she followed him. The only person that cared about her.

What do you think? A bit fluffy, yeah, but whatever. Hope you enjoyed it. Please review if you can. I had to change my writing style a bit. I had to use smaller words, and ask a lot of questions since i was sort of delving into a child's mind. I thought it turned out alright.


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